Then the 4th of July came.
My husband and I left town to visit family. Before we drove away, I checked the doors, glanced through the backyard, and assumed the house would sit empty until we returned.
That afternoon, my phone buzzed.
Security camera alert.
I barely looked at it at first.
Probably a delivery driver.
Maybe an animal near the gate.
Then I opened the live feed.
And froze.
My neighbors were walking through my backyard.
Not one of them.
Not two.
A whole group.
They came carrying coolers, bags of food, towels, and red, white, and blue decorations like they were arriving at a rented vacation house.
One person set a cooler beside my patio furniture.
Another draped decorations near the pool.
Then somebody kicked off their sandals and jumped straight into the water.
I stared at my phone.
These were the same people who had called the police because the construction of this pool had supposedly disturbed their peace.